Rainbow Warriors head to Reno, looking for first win of 2013

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -

After an 0-2 start and a much-needed bye week, the Rainbow Warrior football team is rested and ready to begin Mountain West conference play on the right foot Saturday when UH faces the Nevada Wolfpack.

Nevada has a slight 9-8 advantage in the series and has won the last two meetings by an average of 21 points.

The UH defense has a tough task ahead as it tries to slow down Nevada's high-powered offensive unit. Last year, the Wolfpack scored 69 points against Hawaii, the most ever allowed at Aloha Stadium since 1950.

One of the big questions is if Nevada starting quarterback Cody Fajardo will suit up. He sat out last week's game against Florida State due to an injured knee.

In two appearances this season, he's thrown for more than 400 yards with no interceptions.

"They like to throw the football," said Norm Chow, the Rainbow Warriors head coach. "They've done it for years. They haven't changed that much from coach Ault. It's not so much the scheme, it's whoever is throwing it."

Warriors quarterback Taylor Graham is hoping to boost Hawaii's offensive production. Through two games, the unit has only scored two touchdowns and Graham's completed about 43% of his passes.

He knows he'll have his work cut out for him against the Wolfpack defense.

"They play very hard," Graham said. "They're always in the correct position to make plays. They had a little bit of struggles these past couple weeks playing some really good teams, but they've shown a lot of good stuff they can do. It presents a challenge for us, but we're excited for it."

A handful of Warriors will step on the field for the first time this season. Running back Joey Iosefa has recovered after injuring his foot in the off season. Fully recovered from an MCL injury, freshman defensive tackle Kennedy Tulimasealii will see his first collegiate action.